Why Does it Rain Down on Utopia?
by PRlNCE
Summary: "But what she appreciated the most was not his hair, nor his dark eyes or pale face - but his ability to pique the young princess' curiosity." Two children of innocence, whose fates intertwine on the streets of Baticul. How will their relationship hold in the eyes of time?


**Commissioned by Rae. **

**Commission info: post/38052362652/hold-da-fonon-i-wanna-eat-yes-hello-now-im**

* * *

The twitch of a feather spoke of a breeze, picking up the tiny song birds in a gentle caress as they carried their ruffled bodies into the sky. They welcomed the crisp morning and gave greetings to the sun as it reared its head beyond the hills, before disappearing into the trees and leaving for the shade. It wasn't too early for the little things. But it was far too early for anyone to notice the blonde little girl, her delighted smile of poorly-hidden mischief glaring as her tiny body climbed down undetected to the lower parts of town.

Princess Natalia Luzu Kimlasca Lanvaldear had happily escaped the watchful eyes of the castle guards, having carefully slipped away at just the right moments, and now found her 8-year old self eyeing the crowds before her as they went about their business. Chatting away here, hard at work there, causing the young lady's smile to widen considerably, a pitter-patter present in her juvenile heart at the fascination she had for these people's lives. As soon as she pulled up the embroidered hood over her head, covering the embellished, blue headband on bright golden blonde strands, Natalia set off into the crowd. They didn't seem to mind a little girl zigzagging between them, clearly unaware of her heritage as she passed footsteps of calm and urgency alike.

The princess moved with a certainty, aware of her destination and in the habit of taking this particular path. How many times had she sneaked down to the port by now? It didn't matter. As soon as she reached the final stairs, she seemed to brace herself, hopping down them all and landing safely below, only staggering slightly. And there it was, the distinguishable dark hair of the boy whose company Natalia had pursued for a week now. In this light, it would cast off a wonderful hue of purple she was particularly fond of regarding his exterior. But what she appreciated the most was not his hair, nor his dark eyes or pale face - but his ability to pique the young princess' curiosity.

"Yuri!" she yelled his way, raising her hand in a wide waving gesture.

The boy acknowledged her voice, looking up from where he was sitting by the water. The mere expression on his face made him appear unapproachable, but as he saw Natalia, his face lit up and he waved her over. She complied, trotting to his side and leaning forward slightly to see what he was doing. In Yuri's hand was a stick, which he poked at the water with. Natalia seemed confused at first, but upon looking closer, she could see that there were lots of tiny fish by the edge.

"Hey! Don't stab them like that", she exclaimed.

"I'm not hurting them or anything", Yuri responded with a pout. "Look."

As he spoke, Yuri started swirling the stick around. Natalia's big, green eyes widened when she saw the result of his motions, a small amount of the tiny fishes following the movement of the stick and creating a circle.

"Wahh, that's cool!"

"I know", Yuri said, his attitude cocky.

The boy got up, leaving the stick on the ground. Casting his gaze on the princess at his side, he moved a hand up to pull down the hood, ruffling her hair with the other as she protested profoundly.

"Eek! What are you doing?" Natalia objected.

"Look at you with that getup. You're gonna get robbed."

To this, the princess pushed her friend, resulting in a delighted chuckle from him, contagious enough to send a giggle out of her system as well.

Yuri was 11 years old, a bit older than Natalia, but they had found a bond in each other a week ago as the young boy had stepped in during a rather sticky situation. It had been the princess' first time so far away from the castle on her own, and she had attracted the wrong attention entirely. As Yuri was but a boy, he hadn't been able to tackle the problem of overpowering two grown men, but he had outsmarted them in a different manner, leading them right off the edge and into the water. This had caused Natalia to follow him around, inquiring curiously about anything that had come to mind as they slowly had become friends.

The young boy didn't question the fact that Natalia kept sneaking out of the castle. He was short on company himself, being a poor orphan on the streets of Baticul. Somehow he always managed to get by, even though it seemed as if he rarely accepted anything for himself, but rather kept an eye on the safety of others instead. He wasn't one to never complain though, Natalia had realized. He was just a boy, after all. But no matter how often she'd offer to give him something to help, or even something as outrageous as bringing him home to the castle, Yuri never accepted. At times it would even anger him, so she had eventually stopped, content in his companionship.

As they kept confiding in each other, however, they learned things that could work in their advantage. One such thing occurred as they had walked up from the port and perched themselves up on a protruding part of some stone stairs.

"What do you want to do when you grow up, Yuri?"

It seemed an obligatory question for a child, but as Natalia had little choice in her future adulthood, it was a question directed with far more curiosity than one would expect. Yuri simply shrugged, however, revealing very little.

"What do you think people can do when they're poor?"

"Oh... Is it that hard?"

Natalia suddenly felt ashamed. She hadn't known these people could be having it just as tough as her, perhaps even worse.

"Yeah. But I don't care. I'm gonna do what I want anyway!"

"But how?"

"I dunno. I just will."

At this statement, the little boy dropped down from the stairs and let his gaze travel over the view.

"I'm gonna be a knight someday."

This surprised Natalia, causing her to hop down herself and join him.

"Really? Why?"

"Because, you know... They're really cool, and they can do stuff. I don't think they're doing their job right sometimes, you know? So I wanna join and make sure the poor are gonna be alright too."

Silence followed as the thought hovered in Natalia's mind. She hadn't realized Yuri had such big dreams, and it struck her with pride somehow. If he became a knight, did that mean they could see each other every day, without her having to sneak out?

Yuri broke the silence by kicking at a rock, watching it leap across the edge and slam against the ground below.

"I am sure they will be", Natalia said. "As soon as you are a knight."

A look of surprise struck Yuri's face for a moment, but it was replaced with a smile at his friend's reassuring words.

"But you know", she added, walking up to him with her delicate hands placed at her back. "I think you are already a great knight."

"What're you talking about?" Yuri asked, arching a brow.

"You already saved me once!"

"Well... That's just because you were being such a klutz."

Natalia fumed.

"Ohhhh! Don't be such a brat! Accept your princess' compliment!"

Her hands swatting at him, Yuri avoided the anger she directed at him in a few swift movements as he smiled in amusement.

"Yes, Your Highness", he teasingly said, his tone trying to mimic a grown man but ending up sounding ridiculous. This proved to stop Natalia's attempt at smacking him as she couldn't stop laughing.

"That is not fair!" she exclaimed, but Yuri only laughed in response.

That day, the two of them simply talked. While some other children their age pounced on each other and played games, the little princess and the little knight enjoyed each other's company in the warmth, even when there was little to speak of they somehow found a way. Eventually, the uttered words became fewer and fewer until Natalia closed her eyes and fell asleep in the boy's lap, all the while his eyes observed the people around them.

These were his people as much as hers.

* * *

"Natalia?"

The youth poked his head into the lady's quarters after knocking at least twice without a response, letting out a long-winded sigh at its rather empty state. This could only mean one thing, as Yuri was very well aware.

At age 18, the aspiring knight had reached a very sufficing position at the castle, thus giving him the opportunity to meet with the princess far more often than the times in their childhood had permitted. It was of little use though, he realized, as the rift between the two was apparent, and strange enough to cause confusion - Yuri was aware of the fact that two whole years had gone without them seeing each other's faces, but he hadn't imagined the girl would've forgotten about him. Nowadays, they could share a pleasant conversation or two, but in the end, it always seemed to turn into a very tense attempt.

Running an exasperated hand through his hair, grown long over the course of the years, Yuri turned his heels and made his way out of the castle, confident in his search as it was definitely not the first time he'd find the teen princess discarding her safety and neglecting her duties to get out in the city - even though arguably, she didn't need to do this anymore as she could meet with Yuri whenever she so wished. Not that the young knight much cared for her work, but keeping away from it forever wouldn't make her a very educated queen. Of course, Yuri knew spending time with her people was likely a study of equal importance, but priorities should not be shoved aside forever when it came to her own country.

The future must hold fear, the armour-clad youth mused as he walked through the crowds, dark orbs scanning the surroundings for his old friend. He tried his best to hold an understanding of Natala's actions, but it was difficult when she wouldn't truly confide in him anymore. Was it something he had done? Was it the years apart? Had something happened to her to fuel this change in disposition? Whatever it was, Yuri, as her friend, was intent on finding out, seeking ways to peer into this mystery when he had the chance.

His mind maps had to come to a pause, as he saw that familiar headband gracing blonde hair further away by the port. Yuri tilted his head slightly to the side, his fringe following the movement, and steadily walked over to her. She had likely realized he was approaching, but even so, she sat by the edge on her own, poking at the water with a stick. This action sent a piercing cut into the knight's chest, whispering of memories of the past he wished to take back but would bitterly relinquish.

"Hey. Don't stab at them", he eased in as he leaned onto the wall at her side.

Natalia didn't look up. But the hint of a smile shone brightly on her face.

"I am not", she concisely replied.

A moment of silence followed. Yuri watched his friend as she swirled the stick, manipulating tiny fish into following. But they were in slight disarray, not quite there as the absent-minded princess' movements lacked smoothness. It wasn't his place, but what did he care about such things? Yuri got down on his knees beside her, holding his gloved hand gently over hers, causing a twitch.

"Look", he voiced softly, showing her how to move by directing her hand. And there was that smile again, the one speaking of fascination as Natalia saw something she considered beautiful. But she didn't once open her mouth.

"We're not at the castle now. You wanna do something?" Yuri asked.

"No, it is quite alright. I needed some time alone."

_Liar_.

"Alone, huh. Okay, I getcha. I'll just go and-"

Getting up as he spoke, Yuri moved one foot upwards, his eyes wandering innocently to the clouds above as he placed it at Natalia's upper back, pushing her right into the water, a shriek escaping her. She emerged seconds later, completely drenched and utterly enraged. The amusement mixed with panic in Yuri's face as he ran up the stairs, Natalia soon following right after climbing up the edge.

"You are the _worst_!" she yelled after the knight, who soon found himself in a crowd again, dodging people left and right to get out of the fuming princess' way.

"I do apologize profoundly, Your Highness!" he joked as he ran, only fueling Natalia's anger further and causing her to tackle him, resulting in the both of them falling onto the ground.

A group of people had now gathered in bewilderment to watch the two have at it, Natalia furiously pulling at Yuri's hair and the latter pushing at her forehead to get her off of him. This soon escalated into more chaos as Natalia found her dear knight's sides exposed and began to prod at them with her fingers, a laughing fit escaping the poor man while the begging somehow made it through his poor attempts at breathing.

Eventually though, she was satisfied, albeit embarrassed to have people watch them, allowing Yuri some well-needed space and air, which he gladly took the opportunity to grasp.

"You really _are_ the worst", Natalia muttered under her breath.

"_I'm_ the worst?" Yuri echoed. "When did you become that strong, geez!"

"Of course I am strong! I may be a princess, but I can take care of myself."

"I bet you can."

Was this what it was all about? Had she felt abandoned due to his absence?

"But hey, we all need someone to push us in the water sometimes."

"I suppose."

The assembly of curious people began to dissipate, leaving the two of them. Natalia shivered through the cold, her drenched personage a cheerless sight. The air between them seemed more lightened-up at this point, but she still wouldn't speak. Yuri figured he'd have to build a lot of patience for her sake if he was to find out what was wrong, the problem seemingly deeply-rooted. But he was willing to try. Getting up and brushing himself off somewhat, he extended a hand to the young lady, helping her up and making sure she got back to the castle alright to dry.

* * *

It was funny, how simple songbirds could incite such reminiscing thoughts. A 21-year old knight rested in the opening of a window, watching them with half-opened eyes as they circled a tree in playful chase. His dark hair danced in the breeze, caressing his face. Left alone to his thoughts, Yuri could conjure up much more than people surely realized. Always the one to watch and decipher in silence, acting on things only when needed - especially then. This was what had made him a Captain in the first place. This, and his empathetic spirit shining vastly through the casual sarcasm he'd often portray.

The silence between him and the princess was an expected habit. They were acquaintances. Every once in a while, they would encounter a precious moment, reverting back to what once was, but for the most part, Natalia avoided the man - a strange action considering she was a very direct person, open with her feelings. Even should it be a crush, which Yuri had honestly considered, she would likely have acted on it at some point. Or would she? Perhaps the fact that it had slip out that Yuri was not of that preference had scared the girl away, leaving the captain to guess at the possibilites - one being that she was only sparing herself the heartbreak, or creeping him out.

But sadly, there had been little time or ways to ask her anything of the sort. Which was why Yuri waited there for Natalia now, the years of silent treatment and coldness giving him reason to demand.

And there she was now, the familiar steps causing Yuri to slip down from the window and meet her halfway. As Natalia pushed the door open, she simply stood there, avoiding to lock gazes with her friend. This would prove rather difficult, as the adult grabbed the teen by her shoulders and forced her to look at him.

"Y-Yuri, what...?"

"No escape now. I want to know what I did. And if I have to leave, then fine. But I think I have the right to know why you've been treating me like this for all these years. Don't you?"

"Why have you not asked until now?" wondered Natalia.

"Does it matter? I'm asking now." However demanding Yuri's tone appeared, he was still calm. Secure. Always secure.

"It... It isn't you, Yuri. It isn't", Natalia squeezed out.

"Okay, fair enough. But it's something", Yuri responded, not intending to relent at any cost.

"Yes. Yes it is, and I am sorry."

She was being genuine, he realized, making him further curious as he probed for information.

"Tell me. Seriously, you could always tell me anything before. What happened?"

Her gaze shot down, Natalia wouldn't meet his gaze for a moment. When she did, however, her clear green eyes were tearing up. Her walls were there. At the first teardrop, they would be gone.

"Aren't I your knight? Hey", Yuri said mildly. His words opened the canals, sending that first tear down the princess' cheek.

She cast herself forward, right into Yuri's embrace, crying into his chest and speaking inaudibly. It didn't matter, that he couldn't hear. She was finally letting out those words, in whatever way she preferred, but they were out. And they were only for him, for that frame she was so holding on to, clutching with her shaking hands. After a while, her voice was able to make sense through the crying.

"I cannot pretend any longer... I'm so sorry, Yuri. I just can't..." Natalia spoke, the quivers sending hiccups into her sentences.

"Hey, hey... Why do you have to pretend?"

"I am engaged, Yuri."

"Yeah... I know that", he replied, an understanding to his tone.

The princess released herself from his grasp, turning her back and simply staring into the wall, as if it would provide her with answers of any kind.

"I do not want to marry this man. I know it's selfish of someone of my stature, but I just... can't."

Feeling as if he could predict where this was going, Yuri took a step forward towards her, his posture alone enveloping the broken lady.

"Why can't you? Tell me."

Their voices were so quiet now, even had someone entered the room, they would hear nothing.

"Because I want to marry you, Captain!" Natalia hissed through her teeth, unable to stop her tears from flowing and finding it maddening in itself.

Three years. For three years, the princess had struggled with this alone. Having to distance herself from her best friend, she had fought this battle with no borrowed strength whatsoever. The pain apparent in Yuri's eyes, he neared her, putting his comforting arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry", he simply said, his apology qualifying for so many things, it hurt.

Natalia shook her head, a smile emerging.

"No. You have done nothing wrong. I tried so hard to stray from you so I could bear with the thought of marrying that man."

"You could've told me. I could've left."

"No! No. Don't you see how unfair I have been towards you? Trying to avoid being hurt..." The princess scoffed. "In the end I hurt you instead. Am I not akin to the nobles you so hate? Those so self-absorbed and focused on their own profits."

"Are you crazy? You didn't go into town all those times to see your people so you could mope, or be alone. You love them and want to surround yourself with them. You want to help them. Even when you're hurting yourself. You're pretty tough, princess. They don't make many like you, you know."

Natalia laughed, her throat hoarse from the crying.

"You are the worst."

"So I've been told."

"Well... yes. So! I suppose you would laugh at me, saying I'd like to marry you when you are not even interested."

"I might not be able to marry you, but... I'm your knight. Aren't I?"

The fluttering of her heart. Again it sent tears down her cheeks. A smile, genuine and that of a woman in love.

"Yes, Captain Lowell. That you are."


End file.
